Vintage bus is helping passengers with social distancing

Vintage bus is helping passengers with social distancing

Over the years I have been delighted to feature on this blog several incidences of classic machines - in this case vintage buses - being successfully pressed back into everyday use in varying capacities.  From a Christmas Day Routemaster service in Keighley, West Yorkshire, through tours of the Yorkshire Dales in an AEC Regent, to timetabled ex-London Transport AEC R/Ts serving towns on my local heritage railway's route, these numerous occurrences are proof that these vehicles are not just museum pieces and can still provide a useful service alongside more modern means of transport.

The service in this instance is a twice-daily run from Gateshead in Tyne & Wear to Chester-le-Street in County Durham, North Yorkshire, as part of a regular scheduled route operated by local bus company Go North East.  With the social distancing rules currently in place giving public transport operators major headaches (most bus companies at the moment being forced to run at barely 25% of their normal capacity) Go North East have hit on a wizard wheeze to try and maximise capacity and minimise passenger contact on its busy Number 21 route by wheeling out a 1960s Routemaster from its local heritage fleet in order to help take some of the pressure off the rest of its buses.

source - The Northern Echo

The result looks to be a wonderful trip back in time married to a [hopefully] safer method of public travel for the people of Tyneside, who I hope will be able to enjoy and appreciate this little bit of vintage effort to combat the social effects of Covid-19.  Whether Go North East will be able to continue with it in light of the direction things seem to be taking again remains to be seen - we can only hope that another lock-down can be averted and that demand for the service continues to be high enough to warrant the ongoing use of this splendid old Routemaster.  In any event it is great to see yet another vintage bus being brought back to its original role, especially to aid people in these particularly difficult times, and I am sure it will not be the last time such a story features on here.  In the meantime a jolly well done to Go North East and the North-East Bus Preservation Trust and here's wishing many more happy miles for their service 21 Routemaster.

Bus painted in pre-war 1930s livery in nostalgic tribute to Westcliff-on-sea Motor Services

source - FirstGroup / John Lidstone

Bus painted in pre-war 1930s livery in nostalgic tribute to Westcliff-on-sea Motor Services

Some local vintage news now in the form of the welcome return of some æsthetically-pleasing 1930s livery applied to one of our bus operator's vehicles as part of its celebration of the 100th anniversary of one of its predecessors.

FirstGroup's standard colours of white, blue and pink (known in some quarters as "Barbie" buses for obvious reasons!) have long been anathema to this blogger so any effort to bring back some of the more tasteful hues of bus companies past is definitely a good thing in my book.  In fact most modern bus firms' colourways from the last twenty years or so leave a lot to be desired compared to what has gone before, so it is to be hoped that First's foray into more tasteful heritage livery sets a trend that others will follow.

FirstGroup's "Barbie" livery (ugh!) in contrast to the much classier cream and red
of competitor Hedingham Omnibuses.
source - Wikimedia Commons

First Essex's original Westcliff-liveried Dennis Trident
source - Wikimedia Commons

This is in fact the second of First Essex's buses to have been repainted in the colours of Westcliff-on-sea Motor Services, which was the main private bus company in the Southend area from the 1910s up until 1954 (when it was bought out by Eastern National, which until then had operated only in the north of Essex), with an ex-London Transport 2002 Dennis Trident (above, and in the background of the first photo) also having been given the same treatment a few years ago and which can still be seen plying various routes around Southend as well.  Now it has been joined by this newer 2011 Volvo B9TL which as well as providing a nice bit of vintage-painted luxury (by First Essex's poor standards, at any rate - they're known around here as "WorstGroup" for a reason, unfortunately) along the region's routes will also be put into use as a "flagship bus" (it could use a few more of them, too) at events up and down the county, so I expect I shall see it and its older sibling at future bus rallies once they restart post-covid.

First Essex's latest Westcliff-liveried Volvo B9TL at Southend.  The bus in the
background is a competitor Arriva, proving that they could also do with looking
through their back catalogue for livery inspiration.
source - Busmopolitan

In any event, I am delighted to see a local bus company taking inspiration from the past and decorating its vehicles in the much more stylish colours of the 1930s.  While it has been acknowledged that the appearance of modern buses is far removed from the chrome and swooping lines that were prevalent in that period (more's the pity; someone needs to design a whole bus that harks back to those times, much like the New Routemaster only perhaps more successful - we can only wish!), I'd say First have been successful in applying the '30s livery of Westcliff Motor Services to the shape of these buses and it certainly makes them look a damned sight better to my eyes.  Now they just need to roll it out to the rest of the fleet - they could do worse than use Eastern National's colours of green and cream, for example.  What about it, First?

***Which historic liveries would you like to see reintroduced on buses?  Let me know in the comments below!*** 

Just like buses...

...nothing for ages and then a load come along at once - much like this blog lately!

Hopefully no-one's ever waited nearly a month for a 'bus (although the service round my way does its best to make it a possibility) but I'm certainly sorry - again! - that you've had to wait that long between posts.  Egads, I've been well and truly reminded why I didn't blog when I was last in full-time employment - work certainly does take up your time, doesn't it?  But have no fear, I don't intend to let Eclectic Ephemera gather dust and I absolutely promise you that no more than a month will elapse before new content appears.

In related news you may recall my mentioning the new [online] vintage magazine I have been involved with, In Retrospect.  Well despite a little wobble due to a lack of advertisers that splendid periodical is still very much with us - and soon to launch its first physical issue!  Sadly I won't be able to have something done in time for the inaugural edition (due for publication in about a month's time - watch this space for more news) but I have high hopes to make it into the January issue, fingers crossed!

Now, back to buses!  During the last few busy weeks I was able to get along to the local annual transport and classic car rally, held on the 12th October on Canvey Island and which has featured on this blog several times in previous years.  After last year's [literal] washout when floodwater severely curtailed the event, the rally's good weather fortunes had returned and we were treated to a bright - if slightly nippy - day (precipitating a series of winter colds culminating in a throat infection for your author, but it was worth it!).

Without further ado, here come the pictures:

CPU 979G, a 1969 Bristol VR, conveyed me from the local railway station to the showground; one of the many shuttle buses in use throughout the day ferrying people to and from the station, showground and museum - an excellent service.

Some old favourites from previous years were also again in attendance, including this 1941 Morris Z-Type GPO van and 1934 Morris 10/4 Saloon (below).

1950 AEC Regent III RT

This beautiful 1970 AEC Swift "SM1" caught my eye at the far end of the field; I particularly like the instructions on the front and side - today's buses should have the same I say (plus "Have fare ready" for all those bloody people who root around in their pockets/bag/purse for the money/ticket after they've boarded - can you tell I'm back in commuter mode...?)!

1953 Leyland Tiger

The showground is right next to the sea wall, on the other side of which is the Thames Estuary (on the other side of which is Kent), so at lunchtime I grabbed a bacon sarnie and mug of builders tea (complete in The Sun mug, I'm afraid to say) before taking a stroll along the sea wall.  By great good fortune I was lucky enough to see the SS Waverley steaming homeward-bound after one of its regular day trips on the Whitstable-Southend-Tilbury-London route.  The SS Waverley is the last surviving sea-going paddle steamer, built in 1947 to replace her predecessor which was lost at Dunkirk.  She was saved from the scrapheap in 1975 (sold for one whole pound!) and has since become a tourist pleasure ship on routes around the Thames, the Clyde, the Bristol Channel and the South Coast.  She's certainly a wonderful craft and, with next year being the 40th anniversary of her resurrection, I think a little cruise to London might be called for!

After lunch and that most pleasant surprise it was back to the buses:

1965 Leyland Titan

Then it was on the transport museum proper, whereupon arriving I was delighted to be met with the sight of London buses old and new!  I'd not yet seen the New Bus For London (seriously, they need to come up with a better name) up close and I came away most impressed.

Back in May the local bus operator, First Essex, commemorated 100 years of bus travel in Southend by repainting one of its vehicles in the original cream and red livery of Westcliff-on-sea Motor Services, which served the area until the 1960s.  I was pleased to see it at the museum alongside one of its forebears, a 1939 Bristol K.  Much, much better and more dignified than First's current livery of white, pink and purple I think you'll agree.  Perhaps we should start a petition to get them all repainted!

At my old primary school next to the museum the cars were packed in (a full house this year, so I heard) and undoubtedly the star of the the show for me this year was this 1935 MG N-type.  Lovingly restored over 20 years by its owner it was a testament to his enthusiasm, being in absolutely tip-top condition as far as I could see.  Alas in chatting amiably with the old boy it emerged that his son does not share the same level of interest and it was a shame to hear the sadness with which the chap admitted it.  We can only hope when the time comes it transfers to the hands of another collector (I did jocularly express my own interest, although with the more commonplace J-, P- and T-types fetching £30-40,000 and me still without a licence it would be a long time coming!) but honestly, who couldn't fail to be moved by this?

 

At the other end of the condition scale was this Model A Ford, a newcomer to the show (at least, I hadn't seen it before) which looked almost untouched!

One welcome return this year, though, was this 1930s Riley which had previously appeared as my show star.  Still a joy to behold, in lovely condition complete with period magazines, books and maps on the seats. 

 

To finish here are some close-up shots of the beautiful 1933 Huppmoblie K-321 Cabriolet Roadster, another show regular, over which I (not surprisingly) lingered for some time - even taking the time to explain to a couple of ladies the concept of a dickey seat and how the roof had to be retracted by turning the little handle behind the front seats.

 

Well, that's it from me for now, but I hope to be back in the coming weeks hopefully with some more interesting vintage news (it's been a bit quiet on that front lately, as it often seems to get around the end of the year).  Don't forget as well to be on the lookout for In Retrospect - in paper format! - from the beginning of December.

Vintage bus link at Epping Ongar Railway will boost line

source

Vintage bus link at Epping Ongar Railway will boost line 

A couple of years ago now I blogged about the then-recently restored Epping-Ongar Heritage Railway and its splendid idea to run a vintage bus service, for visitors and public alike, from the West Essex New Town of Harlow to the heritage line's current westernmost terminus at North Weald.

Now I'm delighted to see that they have started doing the same from the east, with another heritage bus service being run from the nearby London-Anglia main line station of Shenfield to all three of the major terminals on the heritage railway - Ongar, North Weald and Epping.  Once again the service is not only open to visitors to the railway but also to anyone wishing to travel on the route in vintage style!  On Sundays it even becomes the only regular bus service between Shenfield and Ongar!  It's wonderful to see these classic buses carrying passengers through the district they used to serve and further proof that they can still have a valuable role to play in the local area.

source

This latest addition to the EOR's transport links is a very welcome one indeed and bodes fantastically well for the future of the line, which is still looking to finish extending the old track from its present ending point just west of Coopersale all the way back to the Epping terminus so it can once again truly be the Epping to Ongar Railway.  It will certainly open the line up to many more visitors from both London and East Anglia, as those as far away as Norwich, Ipswich and Colchester will now be able to travel by train directly to Shenfield and then begin their journey back in time on one of the AEC R/Ts.  It can only be a good thing for the railway and top marks to them for their continued hard work in putting on these extra services.

There's even less reason now for me not to make the trip to the EOR, since I can hop on a train and be at Shenfield in half an hour.  I see next month is their 1940s Weekend - a little plan is forming in my mind...(!)  All that's left now is for the EOR to take over and run their trains on the main line, so that we can enjoy historic locomotive travel right from the start.  With the way they've turned the Epping-Ongar line around in the last twenty years, I wouldn't put it beyond them!

'Unsung' London war bus brought back to life

'Unsung' London war bus brought back to life

With the centenary of the beginning of World War One now only a matter of months away, there will doubtless be many fascinating and worthy projects on the go in addition to those already announced by the Government.  Here's one now, in fact, involving the restoration of a 1914 London omnibus.

source

A very special and, today, rare model the London General Omnibus Company (LGOC) B-type was in many ways the Routemaster of its day.  Arguably the first mass-produced 'bus it was an advanced machine for its time, able to travel faster even than the speed limit of the time (12mph - the B-type could top 16mph, although apparently 30-35mph was not unheard of!) thanks to its light weight and modern running gear.  Able to seat up to 34 people, including 18 on the top deck's weatherproof canvas-covered seats, over 3,000 B-types were produced; that and the model's reliability allowed for an expansion of routes and the introduction of the night bus with the B-type getting electric lighting inside and out from 1912/13.

source
A B-type converted into a pigeon loft for use in
Northern France and Belgium during the Great War, c.1916.

Almost as soon as war broke out in August 1914 up to one-third of the entire B-type fleet was requisitioned for military purposes and shipped over to France (and from there also to other far-flung theatres like Palestine and Greece) - quite a logistical feat if you think about it!  Over the ensuing four years they were pushed far beyond the design's limits - trading smooth London streets for rutted & waterlogged mud tracks, coming under enemy fire, being converted into anti-aircraft gun platforms or carrier pigeon lofts, not to mention providing transport for two-dozen fully-equipped soldiers (the hastily-erected window boards were in fact installed to stop the glass getting broken by the soldiers' guns and packs)!

source
Troops in Arras go back for a rest having
taken part in the Battle of Arras, May 1917.

Now only four B-types are known to exist.  B43 "Ole Bill", a 1911 model, served in France until 1919 when like so many it helped to transport soldiers back across the Channel and was bought back by LCOG, shortly afterwards being retired and used as a commemorative vehicle (on the 14th February 1920 it became the first bus to boarded by a monarch, King George V inspecting it as part of the peace celebrations).  It was donated to the Imperial War Museum as long ago as 1970, where it remains to this day.

source

B340 resides at the London Transport Museum and it is here that it will soon be joined by the one undergoing recommissioning at the moment.  This latest restoration looks to be the quite the project, having come about through a remarkable series of events.  It will also differ from its companion by being rebuilt to military specification, to honour the memory of the men its type helped transport to and from the front lines. 

An excellent undertaking, then, particularly for the Great War anniversary but also for 2014's Year of the Bus.  I'm glad to see the London Transport Museum taking such effort to bring back to life another of these forgotten buses and in order to commemorate those who took part in such an important date in our history.  It bodes well for the centenary events next year and I look forward more than ever to seeing them (and the B-type bus!).

Vintage bus rides take on a new twist

Vintage bus rides take on a new twist

Following on from the story I posted last year, in which the local (to me) Epping-Ongar Heritage Railway ran a timetabled service of vintage buses, here now is a similar set-up involving the Yorkshire Heritage Bus Company which according to the accompanying article have just recently started running tours of the Yorkshire Dales in their vintage double-decker buses. It's splendid to see a family-run company making such a good go of the classic bus hire business - not just with the usual fare (no pun intended!) of
wedding and private hire but also with this excellent idea of touring the beautiful Yorkshire countryside. 

source

Just look at that stunning scenery as well and imagine how even better it must look from the top deck of a vintage bus!  Cruising the back lanes of Yorkshire in a 1959 AEC Regent, with such wonderfully-attired drivers and conductors(!) on hand, must be a glorious time-travelling experience.

Once again I've begun daydreaming about starting my own vintage bus company, except there aren't many picturesque views around my neck of the woods.  Not to mention - and more importantly - no PSV licence and no chance of buying a bus, ha!  Still, a chap can dream...

In the meantime, should I ever find myself in the pleasant environs of Halifax, West Yorkshire, I shall certainly avail myself of this company's lovely-looking tours.

Back on the buses (back on the blog!)

Some kind of record...

Goodness me!  Over a week since my last post?!  That must be some kind of record!  Not a good one, though, and I apologise again for it.  A concatenation of events, including a rest from my previous monster post (which I hope kept you all asleep entertained during my absence), couple with a distinct lack of blogworthy news and a little thing called "life" intervening conspired to keep me away.

Now I'm back - not from outer space - having recently attended the annual Castle Point Transport Museum Open Day Show in the old home town on Sunday.  A yearly pilgrimage, I can hardly believe it's come round again so soon.

Just as last year I initially feared the worst for the weather, as advance forecasts during the week had predicted rain and barely double-digit temperatures.  Once again, though, the seaside spirits of Canvey Island flexed their muscles and despite a cool wind the sun was high in a cloudless sky as I arrived at 11'o'clock.

1968 Eastern National Bristol Lodekka

(In the picture above you can see all that remains of a set of pre-1953 steps leading down to the sandy beach, which was completely covered by a high tide barely 3ft from the path.  Sometimes the water even makes it over that, as the piles of shingle next to the sea wall testified.)

Into the museum and I must admit one of the first things that I noticed was that the event seemed slightly smaller this year.  Certainly there were fewer stallholders and vehicles inside but I think 2011 was an exceptionally good year display-wise, so anything less would be bound to suffer slightly in comparison.  Even so there were some new faces among the old in the yard area outside:

1950 Bristol L (left) and 1953 GPO Maudsley Mogul MkIIIA

After a scout around the museum to pick up the lay of the land it was off next door - the grounds of my old primary school, in fact - where more goodness awaited me.  One of the first when I walked through the gate was this gorgeous Jaguar, featuring the flowing lines of the imposing Mark IX.  I have only just discovered that this particular car was bought at auction not one year ago, in what was quite a rare opportunity.  The original lot details are still available here.

1961 Jaguar MkIX

Swiftly followed by a beautiful 1928 Alvis 12/50 "Beetleback", one of only 319 left in the world.

A pair of Morris Eights and a later Oxford:

1937 Morris Eight SI

1937 Morris Eight SII

1953 Morris Oxford

1935 Rover 10

1950s Standard Eight

One of the more major attractions for this year was a selection of vintage speedway motorcycles dating from 1929 to 1931.  Although motorbikes are more in father's purview than mine I always appreciate a classic two-wheeler (or three if it has a sidecar!), especially if it is fitted with the wonderful JAP V-twin.  Some of these speedway racers were beautifully restored, others were still in original condition.

I'd like to take a moment to draw your attention to one of the exhibits you can see only part of in this photograph.  GNB 792D - visible in the top left drawing quite a crowd - is a 1966 Beardmore MkVII Paramount taxi, which was one of the last attempts to provide an alternative to the now-traditional London black cab that we know and love today.  It proved to be so popular that unfortunately I could not get a decent picture of it and it had left before the end of the day, so I shall have to keep my eyes open for it at future events.  It was even more of a shame because this recently-restored example was now plying for hire once again, this time in the world of special events, under the name of - Tickety Boo Taxi!  Of course I immediately thought of our own Tupney, travelling about in her very own taxi(!).

It wasn't the only taxi there, either:

1937 Austin 12/4

Once again doing some digging I find that this car also sold recently and moreover has a famous history - it appeared in a Carry On film!  Not any Carry On film either but one of my favourites, 1963's Carry On Cabby.

I was also delighted to see a 1971 Buick Riviera taking up one corner.  At the 2010 event there was a '64 Riv, the version which (not entirely undeservedly) tends to garner the most compliments but for my money the '71 boat-tail model is the more beautiful.  Keeping with the TV and film theme, it also helped that it happened to appear in one of my favourite TV shows of the '90s(!).  My word, it was huge, though - a lot bigger than I thought it would be.  No wonder it used a 7½-litre V8! 

American cars were well represented, as usual:

1946 Chevrolet Fleetline

1950 Ford Sedan

1953 Ford Crestline

1958 Chevrolet Yeoman

As were our attempts to emulate them(!):

1958 Vauxhall Victor Estate

1960 Ford Consul

There were plenty of other traditional British cars in evidence as well:

1930 Morris Cowley

Including my old favourite the 1934 Singer Eleven, once again complete with its period accessories:

1939 Rover 12

1941 Morris Z-Type, the sole example restored to its original GPO livery

1946 Austin Eight

1947 Ford Prefect

1947 Wolseley 14/60 SIII

1950 Ford V8 Pilot

1950 MG Y-type

1953 Ford Popular

1953 Morgan Plus Four Roadster

1950s Austin-Healey Sprite

1954 Austin-Healey 100-4

1959 Ford Popular

1960 Ford Prefect

1969 Marcos 1800

1970 MG Midget

1972 Volvo P1800S

Some microcars (bubble cars) from the 1950s, when the Suez Crisis was at its height, were also on show this year:

Messerschmitt KR200

1960 BMW Isetta

1971 Mercedes W111

Then it was off to the main showground by the seafront, where all the buses were on display.

This (below) was my transport back to the museum after I had had a good look around and a walk along the seafront.  Last year I missed riding on this 1953 Bristol KSW, which has served the local area for all life (having been converted to an open top in 1966 after which it ran the seafront route in Southend and Clacton), as it only arrived late in the afternoon just as I was leaving.  This year it was on much earlier and although I wasn't able to sit on the top deck, which proved to be extremely popular especially with the children, it was a lovely ride back to the museum (and smoother than some modern buses, I might add!).

There was just time for one last tour around the museum, including the model railway room (which I'm sure features some of my old set pieces that I sold to a local chap some years ago):

Plus the depot office, complete with some typewriters for my fellow typosphereans to identify(!):

Imperial 65 wide (VERY wide!) carriage

Despite the smaller number of stalls this year there was still plenty of things of interest to catch the eye.  With money and space being tight at Partington-Plans Towers I plumped for this little model of a 1939 Austin 18 ambulance in Civil Defence Corps colours as my memento for the day.

As I waited at the bus stop for a scheduled service back home, this 1953 AEC Regal IV that had been pressed into passenger-carrying service from the seafront turned up to disgorge more visitors.  I love the arrow-style indicators at the back!

So another annual show has been and gone, and jolly good fun it was too.  I'm sorry for throwing two heavy-going posts at you in succession; rest assured that normal service will resume shortly!  Maybe I'll do a one-line blog next to balance things out(!).  Until next time, all aboard!